A Movie Nearly Every Night: Partners

Partners (1982)
Dir: James Burrows
Starring: Ryan O'Neal, John Hurt, Kenneth McMillan

Benson (Ryan O'Neal) and Kerwin (John Hurt) are ... well ... partners

My mom and I love this movie, but it's been years since I'd seen it. We caught some of A Man For All Seasons on Turner last week and the cousin/roommate remarked on how young John Hurt was in it. I've been a huge fan of John Hurt since I was a kid. There's something both trusting and sinister about him -- like you'd want to hang out with him because he'd know how to steal cigarettes from the corner store. But it's mostly because he's not afraid of any kind of acting: alien coming out of his chest, licking a woman's face, sleeping with his sister (and cutting the baby out to eat it like a god) or being the Elephant Man. Stuff other people won't do he'll not only do it, he'll master it.

You can guess the story without too much trouble: Ryan O'Neal is Benson, a macho cop who gets partnered with fey records clerk Fred Kerwin to go undercover to solve a homosexual murder. The premise is somewhat silly and offensive, but, honestly, the movie walks a really fine line that keeps it from being as silly and offensive as it could have been, and I think a lot of the credit goes to John Hurt and, yeah, I'll say it, Ryan O'Neal. He's good in this. I don't normally like him, but I he makes Benson a decent guy.

It's a comedy, so there are some moments of obvious stereotype, but just when they get close to caricature (Kerwin keeps house; Benson oggles breasty women) it backs off just enough to keep the characters real. There's no great and sudden transition from macho jerk to sensitive understanding male. Ryan O'Neal's Benson is uncomfortable with his job, but he does it with a minimum of bitching. I'll say it again, he's a decent guy, and he's usually very careful around John Hurt's gay Officer Kerwin, who is equally uncomfortable with the job. Kerwin knows he's being "promoted" not because he's a good cop but because of his sexuality, and it bothers him just as it bothers Benson to wear leather, and yet both settle in with only a few moments of awkward silliness.

potentially awkward silliness, but handled with a minimum of idiocy. No, really.

It helps that during the silly moments that there is no goofy incidental music to send it over the top. As Ryan O'Neal walks past a line of people (coincidentally waiting to see La Cage Aux Folles, written by Francis Veber who also wrote Partners) there's no dopey "wah wah wahhhhh" music to echo his steps. This keeps Benson from coming across as a jerk or asking us to sympathize with his discomfort, because in the end he's a cop doing a job and that's how he plays it. We can laugh at him or not, but that's entirely up to us. There's nothing forcing the laugh, which is interesting considering this was directed by James Burrows, the sitcom king. (Although not entirely surprising since James Burrows also directed the best episode of News Radio "Smoking.")

The story doesn't shy away from showing the cops as homophobic louts either. Benson and Kerwin only investigate one case, but it turns out that there have been a number of murders that the police have ignored because the victims were gay. There's also a scene in jail that shows Benson what it's like to be on the other side of his fellow officers (and why Kerwin has kept in the closet) and it's not played for laughs. Balance that against Kerwin having a queen moment at a stake out, and you have a somewhat steady picture.

So, comedy, yes, but offensive? I'd argue no, not so much, or there's enough on each side to keep things even. It's an interesting movie played by interesting actors. With anyone else, it would be complete disaster, no doubt about it.